YK Poudel

Bumthang – Rain or shine, Pem Namgay, 31-year-old dairy farm manager, and his team tend to 87 cattle at the Community Dairy Farm in Wobthang, Bumthang.

As the largest supplier to the gewog’s milk processing unit, the dairy farm produces around 100 litres of milk daily, primarily for chugo (hard cheese) production.

Established in 1997, the farm is one of the oldest and most successful in Bhutan.

Pem Namgay took over as the farm manager in 2019 when it had 80 cattle. Today, it has grown into a notable dairy farm in Bumthang dzongkhag.

While the community farm does brisk business, with a joint savings of Nu 1.2 million as of 2023, the rise in animal diseases such as lumpy skin disease severely affected its bottom-line.

The farm had to spend much of its savings in managing the health issues of cattle, which swiftly reduced its savings to Nu 600,000.

Around 396 households from Tang gewog are members of the community dairy group.

“Previously, members would contribute free labour for maintenance, fencing, and pastureland management but now these tasks are handled by hired labourers, adding to the cost of maintaining the farm,” Pem Namgay said.

In addition, the dairy farm faces a host of challenges, including the inability to modernise due to inadequate funding, wildlife depredation by wild boars, and frost damage during winter.

“Although the agriculture division of the dzongkhag provides some assistance, inadequate follow-up support and initiatives from the gewog make progress difficult,” he said. “All plans have to be routed through the gewog, making it cumbersome to take initiatives.”

He suggested that farms that offer multiple benefits to the gewog should be supported through proper projects and programmes by the gewog administration.

With a daily production of over 100 litres, the Community Dairy Farm in Wobthang is one of the largest contributors to milk production in Bumthang. The dzongkhag produced 1,982.45 metric tonnes of milk last year.

The farm covers a total area of 1,980 acres and shares its boundary with the Wobthang Organic Wonder farm. It is divided into 17 plots, all fenced with electric and barbed wire. The farm was originally a sheep-breeding centre before being given to the public as royal soelra.